Editorial Migrant in my own country: The long march of migrant workers in India during the COVID‑19 pandemic 2020—Failure of postcolonial governments to decolonize Bihar and rebuild Indian civilization after 1947 Raman Kumar President Academy of Family Physicians of India, President, WONCA SAR The World Organization of Family Doctors, South Asia Region ABSTRACT The world is passing through the unprecedented crisis of COVID 19 pandemic. A large section of the global population has been living under mandatory mass quarantine, the lockdown, as a strategy towards slowing down the expansion of the pandemic. This lockdown is being eased out across world in a phase wise manner. India being one of the most populous countries is hardest hit by the pandemic and soon the number of positive cases is likely to touch one million mark. One of the most significant phenomenons observed during the Indian lockdown, has emerged as the long march of migrant workers from cities to their native places. Bihar, one of the Indian provinces is the major provider of migrant labourers for Indian agriculture and the industry sectors. As depicted on social media and television, the plight of migrants was disturbing and exposed modern Indian democracy’s vulnerabilities. Many of them had to walk on foot for thousands of kilometers, with their hungry families, from the industrial cities to their native places. Nothing has changed for the migrant workers through the past three centuries, including the first century of postcolonial India. Why are they called migrant workers? Are they not citizens of India? How come being Bihari—a native of Bihar province, one of the primary sources of migrant workers in India, become a stigma? So how did the historical symbol of the most significant accomplishments of Indian history, literature, science, and culture come to be identified with poor migrant workers’ image? Bihar’s underdevelopment is often blamed on corrupt local politicians and caste politics. However, the history of migrant workers from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh states of India is worth a closer attention for possible solutions. The phenomenon has a historical linkage with the fall of once upon a time the great Indian civilization; centuries of occupation, colonization, slavery, and indentured servitude. India has made steady progress in economic terms since 1947, India's independence from the British empire. The economy’s size and rise in gross domestic product (GDP) are meaningless if ordinary citizens continue to be disfranchised, not protected, and liberated from the colonial processes. For India’s sovereign economic development, there is no option but to invest in long‑term and rebuild the civilization and build a system of the indigenous Indian knowledge economy based on the core principles and values of the Indian civilization. Keywords: Migrant workers, Slavery, Indentured workers, Indian Independence, Indian Civilization, History of India, History of Bihar, Magadha Empire, Buddha, Ashoka, Chanakya, Indian economy, Development of India, Culture of India, Tourism industry, Visit Bihar, India Arrival Day, India diaspora, Future of India, Rebuilding Bihar, Bihari people, Patliputra, Magadha empire, Gupta Empire, Colonization of India, the British empire, Independence of India, Bhikhari Thakur, Mahatma Gandhi, Satyagrah. Champaran movement, Mr. Rajkeshwar Purryag, History of Mauritius, BIMARU States, Ancient India, Future of India, Indian economy, COVID‑19, Corona, Pandemic in India, Public Health, Archeological Survey of India, GDP of India, Economy size Address for correspondence: Dr. Raman Kumar, of India, Niti Ayog, Government of India, Indian Agriculture 049 Crema Tower, Mahagun Mascot, Crossing Republik Sector, Development of Bihar Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh ‑ 202 016 India. E‑mail: [email protected] Received: 03‑10‑2020 Accepted: 04‑10‑2020 Published: 30‑10‑2020 This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially, as long as appropriate credit is Access this article online given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. Quick Response Code: Website: For reprints contact: [email protected] www.jfmpc.com How to cite this article: Kumar R. Migrant in my own country: The DOI: long march of migrant workers in India during the COVID-19 pandemic 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2045_20 2020—Failure of postcolonial governments to decolonize Bihar and rebuild Indian civilization after 1947. J Family Med Prim Care 2020;9:5087-91. © 2020 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care | Published by Wolters Kluwer ‑ Medknow 5087 Kumar: Migrant in my own country Migrant in My Own Country of the mighty Magadha Empire. Bihar is considered the cradle of Indian civilization. The national emblem of the Republic The world is passing through the unprecedented crisis of COVID of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka the 19 pandemic. A large section of the global population has been Great, one of the illustrious emperors of the Mauryan Magadha living under mandatory mass quarantine, the lockdown, as a empire.[2] Internationally, Bihar is also known as the land of strategy towards slowing down the expansion of the pandemic. Buddha and Mahavira. This lockdown is being eased out across world in a phase wise manner. India being one of the most populous countries is Many of the present generation Indian wouldn't know about hardest hit by the pandemic and soon the number of positive the word 'Indentured Servitude'. The people who endured the cases is likely to touch one million mark. One of the most process of migration as part of colonial arrangements are largely significant phenomenons observed during the Indian lockdown, cut off from their native lands and the memories the locals in has emerged as the long march of migrant workers from cities Bihar and other states in India have also faded away. In 1834, to their native places. Why it happened is a matter of detailed slavery was abolished by the British parliament; the same year, socioeconomic and political studies. In this paper, the author on 2nd November, the first ship of indentured laborers arrived has briefly reviewed the historical reasons for internal migration on Mauritius’s shores. Indian Arrival Day is a holiday celebrated from Bihar and other similar Indian states. Bihar, one of the on various days in the nations of the Caribbean. Presently, the Indian provinces is the major provider of migrant labourers for people of Indian origin account for eighty percent of Mauritius’s Indian agriculture and the industry sectors. Coronavirus disease total population, out of which more than fifty percent are from 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic lockdown saw the long march Bihar. Even today, the Biharis continue to be a stable source of migrant workers in India. As depicted on social media and of cheap labor to India’s industrial cities and agriculture hubs. television, their plight was disturbing and exposed modern Indian The present‑day migrant worker’s phenomenon in India is a democracy’s vulnerabilities. Many of them had to walk on foot continuation of the historical events and colonial processes such for thousands of kilometers, with their hungry families, from the as the industrial revolution in Europe, the American civil war, industrial cities to their native places. Nothing has changed for slavery trade by Europeans, and the labor supply‑demand in the the migrant workers, through the past three centuries, including international markets. Industrialization of colonial India, artificial the first century of postcolonial India.[1] famines in Bengal, development of factories, and British business monopolies in the Indian cities like Calcutta, Bombay, Surat, and Who are these migrant people? Why are they called migrant the military’s raising during World Wars are the other factors. The workers? How come being Bihari, a native of Bihar, one of system of indentured servants and contractual slavery prevailed the primary provincial sources of migrant workers in India, through the 19th century and was formally abolished just about become a stigma? So how did the historical symbol of the World War I.[3] most significant accomplishments of Indian history, literature, science, and culture come to be identified with the poor migrant Degeneration of the Indian Civilization: worker’s image? The underdevelopment of Bihar and a large Colonization, Famine and Migration number of Biharis seeking employment outside the state is often blamed on corrupt local politicians and caste politics in While the fall of Indian civilization to centuries of international recent times. However, the history of migration of workers from colonization is monumental, let us briefly look at the process Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP) states of India is worth a slavery and the status of indentured servants during British closer attention for possible solutions. This phenomenon has a colonial period in India. The new indentured servitude (volunteer historical linkage with the fall of, once upon a time great Indian contract), was only a little different from slavery and technically civilization; centuries of occupation, colonization, slavery, and permitted under that legal system of that time. Mediators and indentured servitude. commission agents penetrated deep into the heartland of rural India, where poverty was rampant. They recruited